


Enamored

by JadeJem



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Chat Noir/Ladybug Fluff, Chat is an idiot, F/M, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, LadyNoir - Freeform, Love, Marinette is sensitive, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2019-03-07 02:23:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13424712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeJem/pseuds/JadeJem
Summary: He relinquishes a sigh and turns to vault back home.With a flash of red, Ladybug is tackling him to the ground, a victorious grin stretching her lips."No fair!" Chat exclaims, a delighted smile spreading across his face. "I thought you weren't gonna show!"Ladybug giggles, covering her mouth with a hand and shrugging. "You snooze, you lose, mon Chaton."The nickname sends earth-shattering thrills of pleasure down his spine, and Chat does his best not to let it show. "Alright, alright. I'll let you have this one," he concedes, much too aware of her still straddling his torso.





	Enamored

**Author's Note:**

> have some ladynoir. ;)

_**October 23rd, 2019** _

_**Dear** _ _**Diary** _ **,**

_**It's**_ _**been three weeks since the odd thoughts have started—since my mind has begun wandering to uncharted territory. Lately, I've been finding myself thinking of what I not to be. I have a job to do, a duty to fulfill... I can't allow myself to continue on like this.**_

_**Maybe it's because Adrien's too far out of my reach. Maybe it's because, ever since he said that he doesn't flirt with other girls, I've begun to notice him more. Maybe it's because I've caught him looking at me like I'm his world—my heart flutters at the mere thought...** _

_**It's all been so confusing. He's always just simply been my partner. We've been best friends for two years now, fighting crime and coming out victorious. And for two years, he's been the same. Well, okay, I'll admit: he's matured greatly—mentally and physically. His baby face has become sharper and more well cut—handsome, dare I say. He's also grown so much taller! Makes me feel like a midget, but I can't deny the appeal his height offers.** _

_**Only in the confines of this tiny journal have I allowed myself to truly delve into these foreign speculations. I believe I have come to a crossroads, and I don't want to take any path because they all lead in the same direction...** _

***   *   ***

_**November 14th, 2019** _

_**Dear Diary,** _

_**I've been avoiding writing down my thoughts for almost a month now, my thought process being: 'If I don't admit it out loud or even on paper, it won't become real.' I'm afraid it's too late.** _

_**I think he's begun to notice my change in attitude. I try not to let myself look at him, for fear of him catching me, but sometimes... I simply can't help myself. I'll sneak a peak, and he'll catch me almost immediately, a question in his eyes. Of course, I'll have nothing to say, so I'll quickly look elsewhere.** _

_**His flirting has become less... harsh. That's not the right word, but I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Blunt? Anyway, his pick-up lines have stopped, and he's moved onto much... gentler things. He says less now, instead simply staring at me (god forbid his gaze be light on the side of my head), or even giving me a sweet compliment. And, let me tell you, it's been much too effective to be safe for my health.** _

_**I absolutely refuse to believe that it's come to this. Have I really given up on Adrien? Maybe it's simply because I like the attention I'm receiving from my partner...** _

***   *   ***

_**December 8th, 2019** _

_**I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. It feels like torture. Why must I be so stubborn? I've found myself thinking about him much too often. He's my every other thought, he's the smell of the strong cinnamon candles Maman has lit in the living room and kitchen, he's the figure I wish to see dancing along the skyline at sunset from my balcony...** _

_**I've succumbed to the desire of dreaming about him, as well. He seems to be with me everywhere I go, and I'm not sure how to escape him. Oh, don't even make me mention how I physically react to him. It's embarrassing, to say the least. Even such minor things like him placing a hand on my shoulder has me jumping away with a start.** _

_**I've been avoiding admitting it, but I'm not sure how much longer I can escape the heavy thudding of my heart every time he's anywhere near me.** _

_**I think I'm falling in love with Chat Noir.** _

***   *   ***

The horizon is littered with buildings covered in light layers of snow, all shining in the dull light of the late afternoon. Snowflakes kiss Adrien's window as he stares at nothing in particular. He bites the inside of his cheek, suddenly smiling down at his lap as heat rushes into his cheeks.

Adrien could've sworn he'd seen her blush last night. He'd simply reminded her of how breathtakingly beautiful she is, and she'd turned away from him. Though, at the time, it was slightly harder to see in the dark, Adrien swears that she'd turned red.

The thought makes his stomach do flip-flops.

Can it actually be working? Can his less cheesy and more genuine tactics really be working? Why on earth didn't he try this 'sweet and honest' thing two years ago?

Well, whatever it is that he's been doing, it seems to be performing miracles.

Adrien's heart hammers at the mere thought of the possibility. God, he's never been more in love with her.

The car door suddenly opens, and Adrien jumps.

"We're home, Monsieur Agreste," Nathalie states, her expression revealing nothing about what's running through her head.

Adrien nods quickly, stepping out of the car and clearing his throat, embarrassed. He speed-walks towards the large front doors, excited to get back to the comfort of his room and transform.

If he's lucky, he might run into Ladybug.

His footsteps echo in the vast foyer as he jogs up the stairs, and he internally cringes.

_I've always hated that sound._

He shakes the thought off and continues on his mission.

"Someone's excited," Plagg drawls the moment Adrien shuts his bedroom door behind himself.

"Well," Adrien says, taking his winter coat off and tossing it at his bed, "you'd be, too, if you thought that there was a small chance that the love of your life was finally beginning to reciprocate your feelings."

Plagg shrugs. "I don't understand how human emotions even work, so."

Adrien chuckles and checks his wristwatch.

**5:57 PM**

"Think it's too early to start patrol?" Adrien queries, feeling jittery with excitement.

Plagg raises his invisible eyebrows. "You'd still go even if I said yes."

"Fair point," Adrien agrees, a smile stretching his lips.

**"Plagg, claws out!"**

Adrien's transformation swells around him, and Chat Noir soon finds himself opening a window and vaulting out of it.

The night air is brisk and sharp, penetrating his thick suit and sending shivers down his spine. The sun balances on the horizon, looking ready to fall out of sight at any time. Pink clouds dust the orange-tinged canvas, leaving an unusually warm tint painted across the winter sky.

Chat lands on a roof and searches the area, hoping beyond all hope that she'll suddenly appear.

"Looking for someone?"

Chat whirls around at the voice, and his expression falls.

Rena Rouge chuckles and sidles up next to him, placing a hand on his slumped shoulder. "Sorry to disappoint, pussy cat." She pats him on the back. "Something on your mind?"

"Only Ladybug," Chat admits, falling into comfortable conversation with his teammate.

Rena Rouge became a superhero about a year ago. Looking so similar to Volpina, Chat and Ladybug had thought she was another akuma. To their relief, Rena was able to prove her loyalty to the side of good, and now they work as a dynamic trio. Rena seems to get that Chat and Ladybug have a more... intimate connection, so she knows not to take offense when they refer to each other as partners. It's a mere habit for having been together for so long.

Rena chuckles. "Figures. You've been head-over-heels for, what, two years now?"

Chat nods sheepishly, a light blush staining his cheeks as he rubs the back of his neck. "What's there not to love?"

"Well," Rena taps her chin thoughtfully, "you have no idea who she is without the mask on."

A frown curves Chat's brow, and he looks down at her. "Why would she be different without the mask on?"

Rena raises an eyebrow. "Aren't you?"

Chat hums thoughtfully. "I'm a completely different guy without the mask on."

"Exactly," Rena says, shaking a finger at him, "and you've yet to meet that side of Ladybug."

"Why would she act different as a civilian?" Chat queries, surprised at the seemingly foreign idea. "She's perfect just the way she is."

Rena shakes her head. "Boys," she groans quietly. "Ladybug acts how she does because her need to fulfill her duty far exceeds her need to be social with others. She's a natural-born leader—something I'm sure shows in her civilian personality—but she's only human. She has her quirks and flaws like anyone else, she just hides them to give Paris an ideal protector. It's best not to idolize her and claim to love her when you can't really love _all_ of her."

At this, Chat says nothing. He wants to argue that he _does_ know Ladybug, but he can't without knowing who she is, can he?

Rena flicks one of his cat ears. "Just something to think about."

Chat eyes her. "Do you know something I don't?"

Rena turns and begins walking away, shrugging. "I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." With a final wink, she flips off the building, Chat watching her go curiously.

_Is it possible that Ladybug told Rena who she is...? No, she's too hell-bent on keeping our identities a secret to do that... So how did Rena figure it out before I did?_

Chat doesn't see Rena for the rest of the night. He even tried looking for her, but had had no luck. When she wanted to disappear, she'd disappear.

Feeling somewhat drowsy, Chat flips his baton open and checks the time.

**8:23 PM**

He's been out for a while now, and still no sign of Ladybug. _'Maybe something came up in her personal life?'_

He relinquishes a sigh and turns to vault back home.

With a flash of red, Ladybug is tackling him to the ground, a victorious grin stretching her lips.

"No fair!" Chat exclaims, a delighted smile spreading across his face. "I thought you weren't gonna show!"

Ladybug giggles, covering her mouth with a hand and shrugging. "You snooze, you lose, mon Chaton."

The nickname sends earth-shattering thrills of pleasure down his spine, and Chat does his best not to let it show. "Alright, alright. I'll let you have this one," he concedes, much too aware of her still straddling his torso.

Ladybug rolls her eyes. "I was gonna have it, anyways." She crawls off of him and gets to her feet, hands finding her hips. "It's only fair because you snuck up on me last time."

The partners-in-justice began playing this weird variation of tackle-tag about two weeks ago. It started with Chat tackling Ladybug out of nowhere and calling it a win. Ever since then, the two have chased each other mercilessly around the city of Paris until one of them is tackled to the ground by the other. Rena, at the time, had laughed and it called it Chat's excuse to touch Ladybug—which isn't necessarily... _wrong._

She offers him a hand, and he takes it, allowing the tiny girl to pull him to his feet. "As you put it: you snooze, you lose, M'Lady." He smiles softly at her, now used to her abrupt tendency to startle and quickly look away.

As the world might have it, the two superheroes stand at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, the shimmering beacon looking magnificent against the dark sky.

Chat decides to sit down. He pats the space next to him when Ladybug looks at him curiously, and she takes a seat. Their legs dangle off of the edge of the platform, fear not even occurring to Chat simply because of the suit he adorns.

And for a blissful minute or two, it's just them reveling in the silence of the beautiful evening. Stars dance across the sky, but Chat's mind can't stay away from the breathtaking girl next to him for long without the need to come crawling back.

He sneaks a peek from the corner of his eye, hoping not to be seen.

The moonlight dances in her hair of midnight and takes refuge in her bright eyes, glistening splendidly against her pale complexion. Her peach lips part, and they, too, catch the light.

Chat's heart thuds wildly, and pure, unbridled _longing_ churns painfully in his chest, leaving the same dull ache it has been for the past two years; except magnified.

Every inch of him burns with the need to be closer to her, to simply brush her fair, lightly freckled cheeks with his thumb, to explore every curve of her unmistakably fit body, to ravish her lips—

"Is something wrong?"

Chat jumps violently when she looks at him, her expression searing yet soft with curiosity.

"N-no," he stammers stupidly, hopelessly falling into her eyes of cerulean-blue.

Ladybug frowns, the soft pout curling her lips causing Chat's gaze to flick down and stare at the pink curve they take on. Oh, how inviting they look, practically _begging_ him to meet him halfway—

"Are you sure?" she queries, genuine concern lacing her features.

Chat's expression softens, and he dares to run his thumb along her knuckles as he says, "Just admiring how magnificently you light up the dark sky, M'Lady."

Usually, this would be the part where she pulls away and rolls her eyes, or shakes him off and makes a snide comment, or even scoffs at the ridiculous comparison.

Instead, her lips part in surprise as her eyes widen slightly, a rosy hue gracing her cheeks.

And, oh God, does this small action do terrifying things to Chat's heart.

Tremors scream down his spine, jolting him when Ladybug's fingers find his. She gently laces them together and hurriedly looks away.

Finally, she whispers, "You can't just say something like that, Chat. It really does ridiculous things for one's self-esteem."

Chat's pulse leaps, and he almost chokes on thin-air.

Not knowing how to respond (nor expecting _her_ response), he says nothing, instead relishing in the feel of her fingers gently twined with his.

Thousands of questions bombard his mind, one of many being: _'Is this real?'_

Maybe Chat is finally losing it. After all, he's been irrevocably and inexplicably in love with the same girl for the past (painfully long) two years. She's even expressed being interested in someone else—a thought that felt like a knee to the groin upon hearing about it.

 _'Things change,'_ a small, hopeful voice murmurs in the back of subconscious.

But when and why?

***   *   ***

Adrien didn't get much sleep that night. He spent a majority of the time scrolling through social media (Ladybug pictures and videos) and allowing his heart to do little flip-flops with every confident grin she threw at the camera.

However, one thing in particular is really nagging him in the back of his mind: who _is_ the girl behind the mask?

And so, the research commenced, bringing Adrien to present day: exactly nine days since the triggering and heart-stopping occurrence of Ladybug showing possible reciprocation.

Already, Adrien possesses a whole Google Doc file filled to the brim with links and pictures and theories—basically every piece and any information on Ladybug he's been able to scrape up.

Alya's Ladyblog has probably been his strongest resource thus far, and Adrien feels a strong pang of appreciation for his friend's minor obsession with the love of his life.

Really, it feels more like a relief that he's not the only one so enamored with Ladybug in her essence.

With a sigh, Adrien pushes his desk chair on wheels away from his computer monitor and runs his hands down his face.

Who is he kidding? Finding who Ladybug is is half of Paris' goal! She's been extraordinarily careful about giving away anything that could come even _remotely_ close to connecting her to her civilian life. Even with him.

Bemused and slightly irritated at the brains his Lady's got on her, Adrien stands and stalks towards the bathroom, determined to wash his failure down the drain and start anew later.

"Done stalking your soulmate?" Plagg asks sarcastically, crossing his little nubs and raising an amused invisible brow.

Heat rushes to Adrien's cheeks, and he huffs. "Shut up. At least my soulmate is real."

"Camembert is real!" Plagg exclaims, sounding genuinely offended that Adrien might think otherwise.

Adrien snorts and rolls his eyes. "Right, okay." He turns to open the door, but Plagg stops him dead in his tracks.

"I do know what it's like, actually."

The admission is so quiet, Adrien almost doesn't catch it. He cranes his neck to see the Kwami not looking at him, but out of the window at something that doesn't seem to really be there.

"I fell in love, once."

Adrien's mouth falls open, shock coursing through him.

Plagg finally blinks out of whatever haze he's been in and looks at Adrien. "What? Are you really so surprised?"

Adrien fumbles with his words. "Well, I-I mean— _yeah!"_

Plagg tuts his Chosen and shakes his head. "Have you ever considered that I wasn't always the all-powerful 'God of Destruction?'"

Adrien blinks, too surprised to do anything else. "No."

With a shrug, the Kwami turns onto its back and begins paddling through the air with its feet.

"Wha—Plagg!" Adrien shouts, indignation rising in his tone. He reaches for the Kwami, but it's too fast. "You can't just throw that at me and expect me to not have any questions!"

"I never said I didn't expect you to have questions," Plagg taunts, now out of Adrien's reach.

Adrien scowls and points a finger at his rascal-of-a-companion. "This conversation is not over."

In response, Plagg merely yawns and smacks his lips together.

Adrien, now curious and frustrated, stomps into the bathroom and slams the door shut behind himself, hoping beyond all hope that this shower will miraculously open his eyes to something he hasn't yet considered.

***   *   ***

If someone had come up to Marinette two years ago and told her that she was doomed to fall in love with an insanely handsome, flirty boy in tight leather spandex, she would have laughed her ass off and called the authorities.

It really isn't as funny now.

The bluenette paces her room obsessively, her patience with the uneventful day unwinding faster than a spool of string given to a toddler.

With nothing to occupy herself, she's forced to think about her own stupidity—something she's not entirely fond of, to say the least.

Oh, but the _mess_ she's gotten herself into! Ugh!

 _'No,'_ Marinette chides internally, forcing herself to stop pacing and take a seat on her heavily-pillowed chaise. _'No more thinking about that. No more mulling it over and banging my head on something. I'm done. Pau.'_

Marinette inhales deeply and breathes out, falling back against the tower of fluffy pillows gathering on her chaise.

"Breathe," she reminds herself out loud, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly.

And just when she's convinced that she may be able to take an early-afternoon nap, her phone rings.

Marinette groans and rolls off of her mountain of comfort, shakily getting to her feet and wobbling over to her desk. Alya's smiling face causes Marinette to poke her tongue out and slide the green button across her phone before lifting it to her ear.

"Hello?"

_**"Marinette!"** _

Marinette cringes and yanks her phone away from her ear at Alya's screech.

"What, Alya?" she asks, irritation lacing her voice. "Is someone dying?"

_**"Only me!"** _

Marinette cocks an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "What's up?"

***   *   ***

"He's trying to _what?"_ Marinette asks incredulously, nearly knocking her cup of brewed coffee over.

Alya is all too eager to repeat the violently surprising news. "He's trying to figure out Ladybug's identity! He came to my window this morning and offered to partner up with me!"

Marinette's eye twitches. "So let me get this straight," she says slowly, fingers knitting together patiently. "Chat Noir showed up _at your window_ this morning to ask for your help in figuring out Ladybug's identity?"

Alya nods, eyes glinting with unkempt excitement. "Yep. And I agreed."

"What?!" Marinette sputters, coming dangerously closing to knocking her steaming cup over again. She pushes it farther away from herself before she asks, "Why?!"

Alya takes a long draw from her cup before answering, "I've been trying to figure out Ladybug's identity for two years! Chat Noir knows the most about her, so working with him is the ideal game plan if I want to pin down her identity."

Horror curls in Marinette's chest as she reels back. "What happened to respecting her wishes to remain anonymous?"

Alya waves her off. "Respect, shmespect. Even if I do find out her identity, I won't _tell_ anyone. It's more for my own private knowledge."

Marinette blinks and nurses her coffee. "Knowing her identity could put you in danger, Alya. Do you know how serious that is? If something happened to you—"

"Nothing will happen, Mari," Alya cuts her off, placing a reassuring hand on the table between them. "Stop worrying. Besides, don't you want to know who Ladybug is?"

"Of course!" Marinette blurts nervously. "I just don't think _she_ wants everyone to know, y'know? If it were me, I'd want to remain a secret, too."

Alya taps her chin. "Fair enough. But you know what they say in America: 'Curiosity killed the cat, and satisfaction brought it back.'"

_I might have a cat of my own to take care of._

***   *   ***

Ladybug, not in the mood for games in the slightest, swings down into a roll on the roof Chat stands on. He whirls around to face her, the surprised smile falling off of his face.

"What's wrong?" he queries (as if he doesn't already know!), apparently acutely aware of the fact that she hasn't tackled him yet.

She marches up to him in all of her glorious injustice and smacks him across the face.

The sound of her palm hitting his exposed flesh echoes in the empty night, the sound reminding Ladybug of ripples in calm water.

Chat stands there for a second, eyes wide and mouth agape. He finally takes a step away and touches the raw flesh of his left cheek. He looks down at her, hurt and confusion welling in his eyes.

"Wha—"

"Don't you dare ask me 'what?'" she shouts, mimicking him in a deeper voice. "You know exactly what! How could you?" The familiar ache that's been residing in her chest since this afternoon comes out to play, and Ladybug clenches the area over her heart to try and quench the awful feeling.

Realization dawns on Chat's expression, and he reaches out to her. "Let me explain—"

"No!" Ladybug screams, voice cracking with emotion as she stumbles backwards. "No," she repeats, this time quieter, "you don't get to explain."

The agonized look on Chat's face almost makes her resolve crumble to the ground in a pile of ash. She breaks their intense eye-contact when the burning in her eyes becomes too much for her to handle. A tear falls down her stinging cheek, warm against her freezing skin.

Painful silence lodges itself in the air between them, and all Ladybug can manage to do is focus on her breathing, which is visible in the winter air.

She looks up when more tears threaten to spill and attempts to rapidly blink them away. She laughs, but the sound isn't humorous in the slightest. Hollow might be a better word to use.

"I just can't believe it," she finally says, a smile lacking any happiness stretching her lips as she shakes her head. "My own partner. My own best friend. The one person I thought I could trust more than anyone goes behind my back and asks the owner of the _Ladyblog_ to help him figure out who I am." She throws her hands out to her sides again and shrugs, laughing once more. 

"M'Lady, _please—"_

Ladybug holds up a single finger and purses her lips, effectively cutting him off.

"I am _not_ your Lady," she states coldly, heart shattering into a million pieces.

Before anything further is to be said on the topic, Ladybug takes off, not wanting Chat to see just how much those words hurt her. 

***   *   ***

Adrien doesn't go to school for the next week. 

Every inch of him aches, and the only thing he can feel other than that is the constant need to throw-up.

How had things gone so wrong so fast?

He glances at his bedside clock.

**4:36 PM**

With a groan, he forces himself to sit up, the covers pooling around him.

Father's been irritated with Adrien's 'sickness.' Models can't do shoots sick, so every photo-shoot this week has been cancelled so he can rest up and get better as soon as possible. 

And, honestly, Adrien can't bring himself to give two shits.

Adrien can feel Plagg watching him wordlessly as he trudges over to the bathroom, intent on trying to take a shower so he can soak his muscles.

And maybe drown himself.

He turns the nozzle and looks at the reflection mirrored back at him. He cringes, fully aware of how pathetic he seems.

"You brought this on yourself, Agreste," he mutters, tired eyes finding the ground as he sighs and pulls his shirt over his head. 

Adrien has no idea how long he just stands in the steaming water. He'd thought that maybe a shower would help him feel better, but it really isn't doing anything at all.

"Why do I have to be so stupid?" he growls, frustration with his predicament making it easy for tears to swim in his vision as he slams a hand against the wall of his shower. 

He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the cold white tile. He takes a deep breath, wanting so desperately for the tight feeling in his chest to leave him be. No one ever warned him that falling in love could hurt so bad.

Maybe that's why his father is like this.

Adrien turns the shower off and wraps a towel around his waist. He shivers when he opens the bathroom and frowns he spots one of the long-pane windows hanging wide open.

He crouches into a defensive position, suddenly very aware of his lack of clothing. His eyes scan the room for any signs of the possible intruder.

"Adrien."

Adrien whirls around, disbelief knocking around the walls of his head.

"Ladybug?"

She stands there, blushing heavily and not looking at him. "I knew this was a bad idea," she murmurs quietly, nibbling on her lower lip.

"W-why are you here?"

_Does she know?_

Ladybug's gaze finds his before she squeaks and looks away again. "W-well, now that I think about it... I-I have no idea." She swallows and shifts her weight from foot to foot. "I was trying to think of someone I could talk to... and you came to mind."

Adrien frowns in confusion. "Me? How—?" A ridiculous thought occurs to Adrien. "Ladybug, we barely know each other. I've spoken to you maybe two or three times..."

The model watches the emotions flick across Ladybug's face closely. Shock, surprise, recognition, fear, regret, and nervous. 

"That's right!" she sputters quickly, clear discomfort written across her expression. "You're just... really easy to talk to! A-and I can't talk to any of my civilian friends about this, so..." She looks at him hopefully before jumping and hurriedly looking away again, cheeks darkening.

Adrien, so surprised and not used to Ladybug acting so jumpy and shy, nods fervently. "Of course we can talk! Just, uh—let me get dressed first."

Ladybug nods as well, still not looking at him.

Suddenly feeling insanely flustered at his bedraggled appearance, Adrien turns on his heels and speed-walks toward his closet. He rummages around for a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Once he has everything he needs, he slips into the bathroom, stealing a look at Ladybug, who's taking an interest in his foosball table.

Adrien pulls his clothes on as quickly as possible, further ruffling his messy hair. He considers brushing it before deciding that there isn't enough time. 

Cheeks hot, he flings the door open, half believing that he's dreaming.

But no, Ladybug now sits on the foot of his bed. She looks up at him and pats the space next to her, looking uncomfortable.

Adrien shuffles towards her, an apology balancing on the tip of his tongue. Except he can't apologize for something he didn't do. Well, to Ladybug's knowledge, anyway.

He takes a seat next to her, cheeks heating up as he stars down at his lap and twiddles his thumbs.

"So—"

"I—"

"Sorry," Adrien says sheepishly, "you first."

Ladybug clears her throat. "Again, I apologize for randomly barging in. This is super unprofessional and awkward of me. As far as you know, I'm just one of two superheros—" her eyes widen a fraction "—not that we know each other any other way, haha. Um..." She suddenly stands and begins pacing back and forth in front of him. "Okay. So, I'm already here. I may as well just start ranting." She takes a deep breath and looks at him, momentarily pausing in her pacing. "What do you think about Chat Noir?"

Adrien's heart lurches into his throat. "Why?" he manages to choke out, pulse drumming.

A blush settles over Ladybug's cheeks, and she begins pacing again. "I don't know! That's the problem!" She runs a hand through her hair. "We've been best friends and partners for years! I've never seen him as anything more than an amazing friend and a gigantic flirt."

_Ouch._

"But, recently... it seems like he's... I don't know, changed? He's more genuine and sweet than overbearing and hearty. He really listens when I talk, and he compliments me less than before, but in a good way, y'know? He's so much more gentle now... and I think I'm letting it get to me."

Adrien clutches his sheets so as not to stand up and do something he might regret. What exactly is she trying to say?

Ladybug's pacing quickens. "And just when I begin to let myself think it's real... He does something so extremely stupid and hurtful behind my back!" 

Adrien flinches at her wild hand motions. _'No disagreement here.'_

"What'd he do?" Adrien queries, trying to wipe the look of self-loathing off of his face to make it convincing.

Ladybug eyes him warily before plopping down on the bed next to him, resting her chin on her palms. "He partnered up with your friend, Alya, to try and figure out my civilian identity."

Adrien cringes, now aware of how bad that sounds. "Really? Wow. Why would he do that?"

"I have no idea!" Ladybug exclaims wildly. "I mean, I've always told him that we have to keep our identities a secret, but I was considering telling him if I could confirm his feelings for me were real..." A pained expression dons her face, and Adrien's heart sinks. "I really think I was starting to feel something for him. I convinced myself that it was real and that he actually saw past the Ladybug mask... but I guess I was wrong." 

Before Adrien can stop himself, he's saying, "His feelings are real! He's been in love with you for two years now!"

Ladybug stares at him, jaw slacked. "What?"

"Y-you didn't know?" Adrien queries, desperately trying to play off his stupidity. "All of Paris knows! It's so obvious."

Ladybug cocks an eyebrow, and Adrien's heart skips a beat. "His flirting is obvious. Any real affection? Less obvious. I think I would have known if my best friend has been in love with me for the past two years."

Adrien's expression goes flat. "You'd be surprised, LB."

"LB?" Ladybug asks, amusement flitting across her face.

"Well, yeah!" Adrien says hurriedly. "Doesn't everyone call you that?"

Ladybug smiles a small smile. "Only Chat." Her smile fades, and she relinquishes a sigh. "I'm so mad at him. I don't want to be, but I am. How could he betray my trust?"

Adrien, careful not to give her the answer he knows for a fact is true, simply says, "Maybe his reasoning goes beyond that of going behind your back. He's your best friend, right? He's also in love with you, so he'd never do anything to purposefully hurt you." He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiles crookedly. "Maybe you should ask him why he did it."

Ladybug stares at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "I think you're right. Chat Noir does dumb things sometimes, but he'd never try to hurt me." She stands up and faces Adrien, a soft smile stretching her lips. "Thank you for the advice, Adrien. I won't forget this."

Adrien stands as well, heart thudding roughly as he returns her smile. "Of course, Ladybug. You can always talk to me. Although, I suspect I know you outside of the mask." He cocks an amused eyebrow at her, and she laughs.

"Shh. Can't tell anyone, okay?" she giggles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Cat's honor," Adrien states, placing his hand other his heart and raising the other one in the air.

Ladybug makes a weird expression before shaking her head. "Retire the cat puns, Agreste."

He laughs—albeit, a bit nervously at his slip-up—and nods. "Noted."

Ladybug suddenly pulls him in for a hug. "Thank you again, Adrien."

Adrien, surprised and overwhelmed at being in such close contact with Ladybug without his suit on, blushes crimson and reacts very slowly to her hug. "Anytime, Ladybug."

She pulls away and smiles one last dazzling smile before giving him a little wave and soaring out of the open window.

Adrien watches her go, completely and utterly enamored of her.

_She has feelings for me..._

***   *   ***

Marinette spends the rest of the day deciding on what she's going to say.

Deciding to heed Adrien's advice is the first thing she had promised herself that she's going to do. If Chat doesn't have an excuse, then it's game over on that front. 

Huh. Marinette never thought she'd see the day where Adrien Agreste gave her love advice. 

Seeing him with nothing but a towel on should have made her pass out, but it only made her feel a little flustered. After all, he is a freakin' model for a reason.

She shakes these thoughts away and turns back towards the project at hand.

"Does telling him that he's violated my trust sound too dramatic?"

Tikki rolls over mid-air. "Did he violate your trust?"

"Well, yeah, but until I know _why—"_

"—you're willing to forgive him," Tikki finishes, smiling softly. "You don't need my approval, Marinette. Just do and say what you think is best."

Marinette groans. "But that doesn't help me in the slightest!"

Tikki chortles. "No one ever said I was helpful."

Marinette glares at the Kwami and shakes her head. "You suck."

Tikki merely yawns in response.

Marinette spends the next hour or so trying to stall herself with designing, and she ends up scrapping nearly everything she comes up with. 

Finally, at **6:11 PM** , she can't take it anymore.

**"Tikki, spots on!"**

Ladybug yo-yos away from her room, absolutely positively unprepared for the talk ahead.

***   *   ***

Chat lands on a nearby roof overlooking the park nearest his high school and the most beloved boulangerie in all of Paris.

Chat eyes the familiar place, recognizing it not only as an amazing bakery, but as the home of one of his closest friends, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

_Ah, Marinette. Sweet, sweet, Marinette._

The girl is a practical angel. Chat couldn't come up with one bad thing to say about her even if his life depended on it. Which, thankfully, it doesn't.

Just as he's turning to leave, a figure zips out from the sanctuary of an all too-familiar balcony. Chat nearly slips and falls sideways in his hurry to watch Marinette—wait. 

He scrutinizes the flying figure. _'That is most definitely not Marinette.'_

His brain, unwilling to comprehend, struggles to find a good excuse as to what he's just witnessed.

_There's a logical explanation for this. There's got to be some reason—_

Or maybe Marinette is simply Ladybug.

***   *   ***

Ladybug searches the city for him. Every nook and cranny she can think to look in.

Nothing.

 _'Maybe he's not in the mood to patrol tonight,'_ she reasons internally, though it's probably more for her sake than anything else.

After all, she had yelled at him last night.

She sighs and goes to the one place she'll be sure to see him if he does decide to show up.  

Tourists all break out their phones and excited smiles when Ladybug zips past on her way up the Eiffel Tower. She grins for the cameras and waves at the unfamiliar people. Some cute boy in a baseball cap looks like he's about to faint, and Ladybug finds herself laughing. 

She finally reaches the point past visitation, and the silence in the air becomes a weight on her shoulders. A sigh escapes her mouth as she takes a seat on the edge of the platform, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge.

Ladybug watches the oranges and pinks as they fade from the sky, leaving behind a misty grey. Luckily, it doesn't begin to snow, but Ladybug still feels the undeniable bite of winter nipping at her exposed skin.

"Chat Noir," she acknowledges, not needing to turn around to know it's him. "How long have you been standing there?"

He doesn't move but responds, "Maybe a minute or less. Not entirely sure."

Ladybug nods and beckons him to take a seat beside her with her hand. She finds herself unable to look at him, for fear of getting lost in his eyes and forgetting what they really need to discuss. 

"I just want to know why," Ladybug finally says after a moment, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. 

"Well, it started with something Rena said to me," he explains, eyes finding the darkening skyline. "She pointed out that I have no idea who you are beneath the mask. I slept on it and realized she was right. There's this whole other side of you that I haven't gotten to meet yet, and that means that I can never truly love you for who you are. Me being my idiotic self,"—he chuckles—"I thought that maybe I could figure it out without your knowledge. I know—sounds really bad when I say it out loud. I simply reasoned that I could meet you as a civilian and get to know you that way while keeping your identity to myself—never saying anything because I knew you wouldn't want to discuss it. It was stupid, but I was desperate to know you because I can't completely love you the way I want to if I don't."

And there's that dreadful silence again. Honestly, Ladybug has no clue what to say. She takes another thirty seconds to mull over everything Chat's said before ultimately deciding the best way to handle this situation. 

"...I suppose the 'wanting to know me better' thing is fair. However, I'm still upset. I've stressed keeping our identities a secret for a reason, Chat. It's to keep us safe. Knowing might endanger each other and make each other first priority above all, and as saviors of Paris, we need to put the people first, not us."

"No," Chat states stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest, "I will always prioritize your safety. You're half of our duo. If you go down, I go down. I can't do this without you."

While the sentiment is sweet, Ladybug finds herself frowning and shaking her head bitterly. "It doesn't matter what I say. You'll just do whatever you want anyways."

Chat leans away, clearly offended by her words. "That's not true."

"Yeah it is," Ladybug argues. "I've asked you to stop acting as my own personal shield for two years now, and you don't show me any respect at all. I can handle myself!"

"I know you can," Chat says, his voice rising a couple of frustrated octaves to meet Ladybug's. "I am perfectly aware of how kick-ass you are. I just don't want you to get hurt when I could instead."

"Well, I think that's stupid," Ladybug states stubbornly, folding her arms and huffing indignantly. "Getting hurt is part of our job. We risk our safety to protect the rest of Paris'."

"Screw that," Chat exclaims, his frown deepening into a scowl. 

"Why are you being like this?" Ladybug queries angrily, frustration and irritation pounding against her chest like nothing before.

"Because I love you, damn it!" Chat shouts, slamming a fist on his own thigh. He shuts his mouth and looks away, almost seeming ashamed. "I love you," he repeats, this time much quieter.

Ladybug's heart—bless it—jumps into her throat, and she chokes on thin-air. Surprised coughs wrack her body, and a hand patting her on the back startles her. 

Finally regaining oxygen, she looks at Chat, eyes slightly watery. He continues rubbing small circles at the heel of her back, and Ladybug finds her breathing becoming more shallow and rapid by the second, easily matching the pace of her racing heart. 

"Y-You—"

"Is it really so hard to believe?" he chuckles, vibrant eyes glimmering in amusement. 

"Well, I mean—"

Chat cuts her off with 'a look,' and she snaps her mouth shut, a blush staining her cheeks. 

"I guess I've never really said it to you out loud before," he says thoughtfully, attention turning back towards the star-littered sky. "I've known it since the day I met you, but I've never gotten the chance to really tell you." He shrugs, and his expression becomes troubled. "But what if I don't completely love you? I only know half of you. There's another girl behind the mask that I don't get to see, and it—it really bothers me." He suddenly turns back towards her and finds her hand, clasping it with both of his. "I want to know you," he pleads earnestly, holding her one hand up to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. "All of you."

Ladybug never knew she'd get to experience cardiac arrest. 

_Can cross that one off the bucket list._

"I-I'm not ready," Ladybug finally stammers, eyes wide and heart hammering. "You've met her before. Me without the mask on, I mean. We've had close encounters on multiple occasions." The words are out before she can stop them. 

Chat's eyes blow wide to match hers, and he pulls away. "Seriously?"

Ladybugs nods almost ferociously. 

"When?!" Chat sputters, looking both delighted and indignant. 

A smile finds its way to Ladybug's lips, and she finds herself laughing. She doesn't even know why, for God's sake. She just is! 

The situation strikes her as hilarious, and she clutches her stomach when her laughter continues, unwilling to cease it and face the seriousness of the situation.

What a Marinette thing to do.

A tear leaks from the corner of her eye, and she wipes it up with a final sigh, a couple of more giggles bubbling up before she completely stops.

"Stop trying to distract me," Chat demands, a light blushing dusting his cheeks. "Have I really met you outside the mask?"

Ladybug swipes at her bottom lip with her thumb and looks away when she feels the blood pooling into her cheeks. "Yes. In fact, if I remember correctly, you quite enjoyed our time together. I think I'm your favorite civilian."

Feeling bold (even for Ladybug), Ladybug quickly turns towards him and dives in, intending to peck him on the cheek as fast as possible before taking off and hiding because Lord knows she will not be able to face the consequences.

Maybe her aim's gotten shawty?

Because, darn it, she missed! 

But, hey, at least her second kiss with Chat Noir is when he's, you know, _not_ in an evil coma.

_Scratch that, I like it better when he resisted because at least then my heart wasn't having a conniption._

The shocked mouth-on-mouth contact leaves the two sitting here, rather awkwardly, before Ladybug makes a surprised noise when Chat leans closer. 

Well, who is she to deny her heart's wants and needs?

**Author's Note:**

> Yes! Finally got all of my works on here.


End file.
